Supply of six snoxCustom Design AGVs to AMW’s Muri site in Switzerland

CUSTOMER PROBLEM

General

AWM produces CD cases. To achieve this, it uses eighteen machines for feed storage containers for the produced CD cases.

AWM’s aim

• Feeding the eighteen machines with empty storage containers
• Picking up the storage containers full of CD cases and conveying them to an elevator station
• Tracking conveyed products: the CD cases must stored for eight hours non-stop to stabilise their geometry

All these operations must be performed automatically, without human intervention.

Specific project features

• Operation of equipment: round the clock, 50 weeks per year
• Eighteen machines requiring feeding
• Production: 1,800,000 CD cases per day, 50,000,000 per month
• Automatic, dynamic feed depending on the production of each machine
• Automatic despatch to the required destination
• Total distance conveyed per circuit: 100 m
• Finished product traceability
• Lower maintenance cost and outlay

SNOX SOLUTION

In view of the various technical constraints, six wire-guided snoxCustom Design AGVs were delivered to AWM.

These AGVs are wire-guided and fitted, in their upper section, with a telescopic rail system which can feed and pick up products in the same operation.

In line with a desire for full automation, these wire-guided AGVs are controlled by a central computer. We fitted the eighteen machines with a call unit connected to the machine’s PLC. These units send a signal to the machine's PLC as soon as the production is ready for removal. All of these requests are collected and sent to the AGVs' central control computer.
Our control computer then sends the order to the nearest AGV to feed the machines with empty containers and pick up the items produced .

Full automation of the AGV system resulted in automatic battery recharging. The system uses nickel cadmium batteries that are recharged by boost charging in parallel time (during AGV stand-by periods).
The central computer has two software programs to control the AGVs in real time, calculate their positions and monitor any changes:
the AGV programming software - ROUTER - allows users to modify the AGV parameters and programs (speed, route modification, etc.);
a display and communication software - CIMPLICITY - creates a customer-specific interface.

Finally, product traceability is via barcode sensors placed under each storage box . A barcode reader connected to the central computer reads the codes in the elevator station (before it empties the CD cases into storage racks) and sends these data to the central computer. The customer can therefore be told which box has arrived from which machine, at what time, etc. in order to maintain a sufficient stabilisation period for the boxes in their rack.

Positioning in front of the machines must be accurate; the wire guidance system can achieve positionining accurace in the order of 1mm.

The AGV speed is fully adjustable and can be modified over time using the control computer. This feature gives the customer the option to adapt the speed to his production (increased production, for example).

You can also view the video of this project on the snox Custom Design page.

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